


Backstabbed

by AryllBricen



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 14:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21137870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AryllBricen/pseuds/AryllBricen
Summary: GrandMaster Apalala - Draco - Ryuu - DragonMaster Nina - Leo - ShiShi - LionMaster Tadita - Lynx - YamaNeko - Mountain CatMaster Tala - Lupus - Ookami - WolfMaster Sagi-Shi - Vulpecula - Kogitsune - Little FoxMaster Shesha - Serpens - Hebi - SerpentMaster Heather - Scorpius - Sasori - ScorpionMaster River - Lepus - Usagi - Rabbit





	Backstabbed

“When am I allowed to leave?!” the Japanese master snarled, slamming his fist into the column to his left, not even denting the hard marble. Instead, a sharp pain shot up his arm, through his fist as he fell to his knees, gripping his wrist.  
“When GrandMaster Ryuu says you may go,” Master Nina replied with a sharp snarl, her eyes burning with fury. However, before she could do much more than glare, Master Sagi-Shi stepped in, holding her arm out in front of her compatriot.  
“Now, now, ShiShi. No need to be bitter and angry. Mister Hamato, here, has already shown us proof that it does nothing, but harm yourself,” she said with a sly tone that only made Yoshi angrier. He stood, ignoring the pain in his arm.  
“I need to get to my sons!”  
“You need to stop being an idiot!” Master Nina snapped only to be held off by her fox spirit friend who kept a smirk upon her face constantly.  
“As true as this may be, ShiShi, he was mortal not too long ago, remember? He has not yet realized that his behavior is rather…” she paused, glancing at him with a giggle.  
“Idiotic.”  
Yoshi growled, darkly marching up to them with fury in his eyes.  
“I. Need. To. Leave!” he shouted once again, but this time received no reaction as the two masters went to attention, saluting above his head. He turned slowly to see the tallest of the Constellations standing above him with a calm glare.  
“Hamato Yoshi,” she began, her voice echoing in his ears.  
“Explain to me, your anger.”  
Under her intense stare, he felt weak and small, but ignored this feeling as he straightened and glared up at her.  
“I need to leave. I was told my sons are in danger. They need me. I must leave,” he barked up at her and Master Nina could be seen visibly holding herself back behind him.  
“And you will leave when you have completed my tasks. I told you before, you have seven tasks as I have seven students. They are your masters and will be your masters until you, yourself, have mastered their individual skills. That is the only way you will be capable of leaving, Hamato Yoshi,” the Dragon Master explained, swiftly with a calm tone.  
“I can’t afford to wait!” he snapped, irritatedly and this drew the line with the Lion Master who stood at attention behind him. She lunged forward and knocked him to the ground, gripping his arm and yanking it behind him at a very painful angle. He cried out in pain, his eyes screwing shut as he fell to his knees, trying to stay upright to keep his shoulder in it’s socket. The longer she held him there, the harder she pulled, shoving her heel into his spine to push him further away. He began to think his arm would break if she continued and looked up at the GrandMaster with only one open eye.  
“Escape her grip, Hamato Yoshi, and I will let you leave,” she replied to his silent plea and watched as he tried to struggle only to have Nina pull harder, now using both hands. Yoshi called out once again, throwing his head back before he lowered it in defeat. The Lion Master dropped his arm and he fell to the floor, gasping desperately for air. He trembled as he tried to lift himself up, failing and falling back to the floor within seconds. The Lion Master backed away, sighing in disappointment as she went back to attention. The Dragon Master kneeled and looked at him, calmly.  
“Do you know why you could not get away, Hamato Yoshi?” she asked, quietly and waited patiently until he shook his head.  
“Go with ShiShi. She will tell you why and how you may do better next time,” was the last thing she said before she turned and disappeared back into her quarters. He tried to stand, but fell once more; However, he did not hit the ground. Sagi-Shi had her arms wrapped around his chest, keeping him up and she lifted him to his feet.  
“Easy, friend. Don’t want you to hurt yourself any further. At least not yet,” she chuckled with a wink as she helped him back inside the temple. Nina followed close behind with a slight smirk on her face as well. 

“And breath in…” Master River cooed as she wrapped her fingers gently around Yoshi’s arm. He winced before doing what was asked, taking in a slow inhale. She glanced up quickly before popping his arm back into place and earning a pained shout from the old master. She cringed and chuckled sheepishly.  
“Sorry. I guess I should’ve warned you.”  
He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he steadied his breathing, carefully.  
“It’s alright. Thank you,” he mumbled softly and she chuckled softly.  
“So...I’m guessing this was Nina’s work, hm?”  
He nodded, slowly and listened as she started laughing.  
“I’m sorry, it’s just...I’ve always been able to escape her. But then again, she has a hard time catching me in the first place,” she giggled, good heartedly.  
“How do you get away?” he asked her, still dumbfounded that he couldn’t escape.  
“Well, that’s easy. Motivation!” she cried in excitement, but Yoshi didn’t understand.  
“I don’t understand...motivation?” he inquired, unsure and she smiled as she began to wrap a sling around his arm. Before she could respond; However, Nina walked in with a scowl, her hands behind her back.  
“Yes. Motivation. You do know what that is, don’t you?” she snarled and, unhappy to see her as well, Yoshi glared in return.  
“Of course. I just don’t understand how that has anything to do with what just happened,” he shot back with a sneer. However, Nina began to laugh which shocked all present.  
“Motivation is everything, you idiot!” she laughed, mockingly, only making Yoshi’s anger burn brighter.  
“How?!”  
She lunged forward and got in his face, snarling.  
“What is your motivation, hm, Orokamono?” she asked, darkly with a murderous look in her eyes that sent a shiver down the old master’s spine. None-the-less he stood his ground, thinking slowly.  
What motivates me? He thought. Suddenly it came to him and he smiled, ever so slightly.  
“My family,” he replied and Nina stepped back, her expression returning to normal.  
“Yes. Now tell me what you were thinking about when I had you pinned?” she asked and River took this moment to slip out of the room, undetected. The old master thought once again, but could not seem to recall.  
All my mind could process was the pain… He thought as the realization hit him and Nina nodded.  
“Exactly,” she growled softly.  
“You weren’t thinking about your family so you lacked motivation. By lacking in motivation, you lacked in strength. And by lacking in strength…” she trailed off for him to finish and he looked down in shame.  
“I lacked the ability to escape,” he finished and Nina nodded, satisfied with his answer for once.  
“I truly am a fool,” he sighed as he laid his forehead in his hand and Nina nodded once again in agreement.  
“Yes, you are. Naive and foolish, but you are also very persistent. I respect that. Even if that’s the only good quality I’ve found I like about you,” she sneered, but received no reaction from Yoshi aside from a small chuckle. She raised a brow and kneeled in front of him.  
“Are you going hysterical? Because if you are, I’m leaving.”  
He shook his head and looked at her, a small smile on his lips.  
“I suppose I owe you an apology. You were trying to help this whole time, weren’t you?” he inquired, knowingly as now he finally understood. She smiled, slightly and nodded, standing back up.  
“Well, sort of. Angering you was just plainly amusing,” she chuckled softly, but Yoshi only laughed with her.  
“I suppose I was being a bit irrational.”  
“Oh yes. Very much so, but don’t worry. We’ll work on that,” she said, patting his uninjured shoulder. He smiled, softly and nodded.  
“Thank you.”

“Come on, let’s go, Orokamono! Let’s go, let’s go!” Nina barked at her newest student as the old master’s lungs heaved. He had been told to run with her, but she was much faster than he was and trying to keep up with her had drained him. He could not even reply in fear he’d drop from lack of oxygen. His legs ached and his lungs burned, his throat sore and his eyelids heavy. At first she had kept pace with him, but now he was struggling to keep up. He had fallen behind several yards now.  
“Hey, Orokamono!” Nina called again and he looked up from the ground at her.  
“What’s your motivation?!” she shouted as she turned on her heel and ran forwards, faster than ever. He looked down and thought again, closing his eyes to remember his family’s faces clearly. He thought of his sons: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael. Then he thought of his daughters: Miwah, Yui and Rani. He smiled once again as his sister and wife came to mind. His beautiful wife: Tang Shen and his loving sister: Sunata. Then he thought of his mother and father: Hamato Soragama and Hamato Yuuta. He then thought about April O’Neil and Casey Jones, their human friends and his one and only friend that had died not too many years before. He thought of her with a determined grin.  
Nori… he thought to himself with something so close to a grin. He pictured her face, her determined smile and that unforgiving fire in her eyes. He opened his eyes and with new found strength shot forward, catching up with Nina within minutes. She smiled, satisfied and chuckled softly as she came to a slow halt, allowing Yoshi to catch his breath after the five mile run. He leaned over his knees, panting heavily, but smiling nonetheless. He began to laugh as Nina chuckled softly.  
“Fun?” She teased with a grin and he nodded.  
“Very,” He replied as he finally caught his breath.  
“Great. Let's get you a meal then head off to the caves for your next session.”

“Do you know Usagi?” River asked Yoshi one day, but he shook his head.  
“He’s my brother,” the little rabbit spirit chimed, grinning sweetly. She pulled a picture from her kimono and smiled kindly as she handed it to him.  
“This is the day he won his first tournament. He’s a master swordsman, the very best in the land!” she giggled as he looked over the picture. His mind flashed for a moment before he froze.  
“I have met him,” he realized and she stopped, gazing at him in curious excitement.  
“You did?”  
“He...tried to help me. One day, I had been injured after the Battle Nexus one year. Four assassins attacked me in my weakness, but he intervened, attempting to defend me. We were both captured,” he recalled before smiling softly.  
“We were going to be eaten,” he chuckled softly, shaking his head, for some reason finding it humorous after all these years. He handed back the picture with a smile.  
“However, we were saved. Lucky, I suppose.”  
River had listened intently with the wide eyes of a child, amazed.  
“Oh my goodness! You met my brother and he tried to save you too?! I knew it! I knew, I knew it…” she continued repeating such a phrase for a while until Tadita finally became fed up with it and dragged her away with her still spazzing out in excitement. Nina shook her head, smiling fondly after them. Yoshi looked at her with a small smile.  
“You all seem very close…” he trailed off spotting Sagi-Shi sneaking about once again, off by herself.  
“Except, for her, that is… Why is she always off by herself?” he asked, watching her disappear around the corner.  
“She’s not the most social spirit,” Nina explained, crossing her arms as she watched in her direction.  
“For that matter, she only speaks when she’s either spoken to or if need be.”  
“I noticed. I must say, I’m not very fond of her…” he trailed off as he spotted her again, sneaking back to her quarters and seeming to be carrying something.  
“What does she have?”  
“Probably food she stole from the hall. She’s always doing that. Steals anything she can get away with.”  
Yoshi shook his head, sighing.  
“What am I to learn from her?”  
“She’s the last one you’re supposed to learn from before you can leave. She’s not the best person, but she is very smart. She’s more intelligent than anyone we’ve ever had here. Sometimes, I worry she might do something we’ll all regret…” Nina sighed before holding her hand out for Yoshi.  
“Anyway, you’ve got another session to get to.”

“To have strength, you must have balance. It is the rule of nature. A tree is strong because it is balanced. There are not too many leaves on one side. The tree that is unbalanced is weak and will die,” Nina explained as she held her leg up, aligned with her body and her ankle over her head.  
“Breath slowly. In before you move then out after you have moved. Like so,” she continued, lowering her leg and bending it at the knee so that her foot hovered about a foot off the ground. A perfected crane stance. Yoshi went to copy, but could not seem to stay completely balanced, which confused him beyond anything so far.  
“I don’t understand. At home, I had a perfect balance.”  
“You might notice that gravity is a little odd here. It doesn’t pull as hard as the gravity on Earth. So you’ll have to steady yourself a bit more.”  
He nodded and adjusted his footing a bit before trying again, this time much better. She smiled a bit, nodding.  
“Good. Now try this,” she added, jumping up and kicking her risen foot outward while changing footing.  
“This will be easier, just be careful not to fall and make sure to bring your leg back after you kick.”  
He nodded and did his best to copy her, almost falling after he landed, but managing to stay upright. Nina laughed, quietly before telling him to try again. This repeated many times until he managed to do it correctly. The two then left for the dining hall once again to enjoy a treat.

“ShiShi!” screamed a panicked voice and the lioness spirit shot up from her seat, searching her surroundings. She looked worried.  
“ShiShi, help!” the voice screamed again and Yoshi stood himself as Nina took off in a direction towards the Arena. Yoshi followed close behind, not quite thinking about the fact that she was moving at least twice as fast as before. When he found her again, she was standing petrified beside a pillar, her chest heaving erratically. He came to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder in worry.  
“Master Nina? What’s happened?” he asked, but she did not respond. Instead, he turned his head to look around until his eyes focused on something in the distance. He could barely make out three forms, one standing above the others whom he assumed to be the GrandMaster, another standing above the third form which lay on the ground unmoving. He stepped closer until he realized with a sick drop of his stomach that the form on the ground was River. His heart seemed to stop in his chest for a moment as he stumbled back a bit, realizing she was dead. He turned back to Nina for a quick moment to see that she dropped to her knees and was sobbing. When he turned to stare at the trio ahead once again, he realized the second form and the one that had called for Nina’s help was Sagi-Shi who now looked furious and ready to kill. She shoved her finger in Apalala’s direction in an accusing gesture.  
“You killed River!” she screamed, tears running down her face. Yoshi rushed forward to keep her from lunging at the GrandMaster and likely being sent to Hell if what he’d been told was correct. She struggled against his grip, but didn’t seem as if she really wanted to hurt Apalala as he was sure she could get away if she wanted. Eventually, she stopped and slumped in his arms just sobbing. Yoshi looked up at Apalala in horror and saw a mirrored expression upon her face.  
She didn’t mean to… he told himself, but it didn’t help the pain in his heart. He hadn’t even known the young spirit very long so he could not imagine the agony that the others were going through. He turned the fox spirit in his arms around and hugged her tightly, soothing her with calming nonsense. Apalala simply stood there as if she were frozen in place. Yoshi pushed Sagi-Shi back ever so slightly to look at her, squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.  
“It’s going to be alright. Go to Nina, she’s over by the pillars. I’ll handle this, alright?” he asked her as if she were a child. She nodded, slowly, tears staining her face and turned to leave. When she was gone, Yoshi turned back to Apalala and raised a brow.  
“What happened?” he questioned, calmly, but Apalala did not respond. Instead she turned as if to walk away, but he reached up and grabbed her shoulder, firmly. She stopped and glared back at him, but he did not flinch.  
“What happened here, Apalala?” he snapped and she gave him a dark look.  
“You have no business-”  
“You had no business killing a young spirit. Do not tell me what my business is, Apalala. Now. I will ask once more. What happened?”  
She sighed, turning to him and sitting down on one of the steps.  
“Sit, Hamato Yoshi. Please.”  
He did as he was told, sitting beside her with a patient look on his face. She was silent for a while before she finally spoke.  
“I killed her.”


End file.
